Microscopes are often used to view samples that are carried by sample carriers of different shapes and sizes, for example microtiter plates, Petri dishes, or microscope specimen carriers (usually small glass plates). A retainer for a sample carrier is used, for example, with so-called scanning stages in order to ensure a defined position of the sample carrier on the microscope stage. If the sample carriers used are very different, the retainer must be exchanged; this results in laborious refitting work on the microscope, and is to be avoided.
A specimen carrier retainer for Petri dishes of different sizes, and a rectangular specimen carrier of one size, is known from JP 11-202213 A. Suitability for other sample carrier shapes and sizes is not provided.
It is desirable to make available a retainer that is suitable for as many sample carriers as possible of different shapes and/or sizes, so that a sample carrier change can be carried out without a change of retainer.